One Nil to The Arsenal

League positions usually go out of the window when there is a local derby, and West Ham who had fared quite well against us in recent years came with the obvious intention of not losing. Expectations were high amongst the home supporters after seemingly scoring for fun whoever we played in the last few weeks,yet it soon became apparent this was going to be in the main an all out attack against a resilient defence. I don’t think I am being too harsh in saying that this wasn’t one of our most fluent performances as unusually Cesc and co weren’t on top of their game yet others who had been criticised lately, mainly Clichy and Sagna both had outstanding games. Koscienly is performing better with every game and his partnership with Squillaci looked solid. Fabianski had little to do, but he is reborn,oozing confidence and commanded his area well. Long may that continue.

Arshavin is just totally out of form and should have been substituted earlier and Denilson didn’t have the best of games. Chamakh is only human, and he too found it difficult to impose himself.

Nevertheless as the game progressed Nasri started to control the game and the surge continued, and he blasted a free kick from a full 35 yards which hit the crossbar. Song,who obviously enjoys his role as an attacking/defending centre back or is it midfielder kept moving forward more and more. Eventually Walcott was introduced and within minutes was unfortunate not to score, hitting the angle of the post which rebounded to the excellent Green. Green made several other outstanding saves, primarily from Fabregas and Walcott and many watching felt resigned to us drawing against our East London neighbours.

Everyone was on edge and the clock was ticking down, when Clichy cut inside from the left flank and sent in a curling ball and there was our unsung hero Song to head the ball into the net.That is three goals in three games for the much maligned Alex.

The final minutes were a master class of possession by the lads and as the final whistle blew there were smiles all round and a huge sigh of relief.

1-0 to The Arsenal :)

Player ratings courtesy of RockyLives:

Fabianski: Not a lot to do, but when he had to do it he was composed and sure. His confidence is growing visibly and there was a wonderful moment when he was literally dragging Cesc onto position in the box as we defended a free kick or corner. (I gave him an extra half mark for that). 7.5

Sagna: some misplaced passes in the final third but excellent defensively. 7

Koscielny: didn’t put a foot wrong. His tackling and positional play were first rate and he’s brilliant at staying on his feet and steering opponents away from danger without diving in. MoTM: 8

Squillaci: another good game for The Squid, who is forming a solid partnership with Kozzer. He made some strong tackles when needed, always looks calm and is a threat in the opposition’s box from set pieces. 7

Clichy: comes in for a lot of stick for his positional play but he was good today (partly helped by West Ham’s lack of ambition). And a rare assist for the vital goal. 7

Song: worked his socks off playing box to box and scored the late winner. West Ham’s lack of threat in attack meant you never felt too worried about any potential holes he was leaving. Got his customary first-half yellow for diving in in a non-crucial area. 7.5

Denilson: Tidy, if unspectacular. Nevertheless with Song charging forward his conservative positioning was important. 6.5

Fabregas: Not one of his better games. His touch was off and he misplaced a third of his passes, which is very uncharacteristic. On the plus side he kept trying to make things happen and had a couple of attempts on goal. 6

Arshavin: what’s happened to the player who single-handedly destroyed Liverpool? Nothing worked for him and it was painful to watch at times. Sadly the time has come to take him out of the spotlight for a few games. 4

Nasri: not as influential as he has been in other recent games (partly because Cesc and Arsh were misfiring, so our rhythm was never properly established). But he still did well and was driving us forward at the end. 7

Chamakh: some have criticised him for yesterday’s performance but in truth he was a victim of our general lack of fluidity and West Ham’s packed defence. It’s not as if he missed a hatful of sitters, it’s just that he couldn’t get in the game. 6.5

Subs

Walcott: continued his good recent form and was unlucky not to score. 7

Bendtner: didn’t have time to make much of an impact but definitely added to our threat as we chased the winner. 7

Eboue: a typical Eboue cameo: 6

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36 Responses to One Nil to The Arsenal

Spot on write up Kelsey. A third clean sheet in a row is one of the main positives for me and Walcott really looks like the player we’d all hoped he’d become. A resiliant performance from west ham- the team (if not us nervous fans) stayed patient. A good three points! :-)

As you say Arshavin looked lost again. I cannot understand why he doesn’t switch wings when he is getting no joy down the left. It wasn’t as if WHU were an attacking threat and he was needed to back up Clichy.

Why wasn’t Parker sent off? He made some dreadful tackles – took out Cesc early in the first half with a late tackle and then almost broke Denilson’s back. Fine player but the ref. was very lenient with him

There isn’t a good head shot of Song available sporting the blond locks so you’re just going to have to use your imagination. I didn’t like the look at first – too much like Harpo Marx, but I don’t care now as long as he keeps scoring ;)

We have now scored 10 goals in 15 games this season between minutes 81 and 90 – a real compliment to the belief and never-say-die attitude of the side.

Song continues to develop as an all-round midfielder, bit just a defensive one. His versatility is a huge bonus because other teams just don’t pick up his unexpected runs. It gives us another weapon – never a bad thing.

What was a worryingly late winner, could so easily have been a straightforward win, if either or both of Theo’s shot, or Nasri’s wonder strike had gone in instead of just striking the post or the crossbar.

A good game for the nail chewers among us but the right result in the end….. I know it is not the done thing to say I told you so, but a look back at the negatives posted on here last season after Chris Twaddle’s and Hansell and Gretells comments re Woolcott not getting his head up, would I am sure cause some to reflect. Also we are at last attacking the far post which is where Theo was putting his crosses. The boy is a work in progress and will cause those faded geniuses to choke on the biased ramblings they present as informed opinion, as Theo becomes the super star for us and England many of us have always thought he would. Jusy pray we can hang on to him.

If Cesc is still carrying a hamstring injury, he should not even step foot on the plane for Shakhtar. Wilshere will be back and fired up. Cesc admitted that he couldn’t turn properly due to his hamstring and that may explain what was, by his standards, a lack luster performance. Cesc has had this niggling hamstring for over a year. I pray he gets a rest at the end of this season, there are no tournaments I am aware of.

Fabianski: Not a lot to do, but when he had to do it he was composed and sure. His confidence is growing visibly and there was a wonderful moment when he was literally dragging Cesc onto position in the box as we defended a free kick or corner. (I gave him an extra half mark for that). 7.5

Sagna: some misplaced passes in the final third but excellent defensively. 7

Koscielny: didn’t put a foot wrong. His tackling and positional play were first rate and he’s brilliant at staying on his feet and steering opponents away from danger without diving in. MoTM: 8

Squillaci: another good game for The Squid, who is forming a solid partnership with Kozzer. He made some strong tackles when needed, always looks calm and is a threat in the opposition’s box from set pieces. 7

Clichy: comes in for a lot of stick for his positional play but he was good today (partly helped by West Ham’s lack of ambition). And a rare assist for the vital goal. 7

Song: worked his socks off playing box to box and scored the late winner. West Ham’s lack of threat in attack meant you never felt too worried about any potential holes he was leaving. Got his customary first-half yellow for diving in in a non-crucial area. 7.5

Denilson: Tidy, if unspectacular. Nevertheless with Song charging forward his conservative positioning was important. 6.5

Fabregas: Not one of his better games. His touch was off and he misplaced a third of his passes, which is very uncharacteristic. On the plus side he kept trying to make things happen and had a couple of attempts on goal. 6

Arshavin: what’s happened to the player who single-handedly destroyed Liverpool? Nothing worked for him and it was painful to watch at times. Sadly the time has come to take him out of the spotlight for a few games. 4

Nasri: not as influential as he has been in other recent games (partly because Cesc and Arsh were misfiring, so our rhythm was never properly established). But he still did well and was driving us forward at the end. 7

Chamakh: some have criticised him for yesterday’s performance but in truth he was a victim of our general lack of fluidity and West Ham’s packed defence. It’s not as if he missed a hatful of sitters, it’s just that he couldn’t get in the game. 6.5

Subs

Walcott: continued his good recent form and was unlucky not to score. 7

Bendtner: didn’t have time to make much of an impact but definitely added to our threat as we chased the winner. 7

Much maligned Song? Yes ..he is but certainly not by me. I thought originally he is going too far forward but obviously AW has seen something in training and given him his head. Result 3 goals. I am of the opinion we should never criticise our plyers because even the wost of them is 10,000 times better than we are. We really dont have a clue about the playing end of football. I have been watching the Arsenal for 50 years almost and I have never booed one of our players. To my shame I was one of those who chanted “Wright must go” over Billy wright but lets face it.. most of the 71 double team were signed during his watch.

Every good thing that Song does is a kick in the arse for his detractors, not that there are too many of them left mind you.

Kozzer has been a revelation since day 1 at Anfield. That day he won his one on ones with Torres, and some idiots suggested that Torres wasn’t fully fit. Since then Kozzer has proven to us all that he really is the real deal, and is ready to take on all comers

Kelsy – I happen to think Neamann is right. You should check out the ‘Crash Course’ on Chris Martenson’s site (www.chrismartenson.com)
It’s sobering stuff, and is one of the reasons I am now living in Canada.

AA23 would appear to be off par for some games. A 4 rating may be a bit harsh when you consider the theory that he may be being used sometimes by Le Gaffer as a foil, drawing in defenders when in posession, which leaves others free. But the thing that negates that theory is that sometimes his passes don’t find the target & then the opo mount a counter ;) Oh well, its just a theory :)

One thing’s 4 sure. Alex Song has found this range, which is an extra valuable string in his bow, & I spose The Arsenal’s armoury.

Kelsey/RL
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